The axles on your UTV and ATV have to handle a lot more than the axles on the car you drive to the grocery store. They deal with ditches, rocks, submersion, and mud—and that’s just before you stop for lunch. We’ve gathered up some of the biggest questions and answers about UTV and ATV axles so you can stay informed.
Feel free to ask more questions down in the comments.
Boot damage can come from a number of causes. The trail itself can damage your boot. Sticks or rocks jumping up and hitting your boots can tear them up. This is a greater risk for your front axles than your rear axles.
You can also cause boot damage by bending your CV joint on installation. If you bend it too far, you can crease your boot which can cause a slit when you actually start using it. That slit lets grease out and quickly leads to a broken axle.
Finally, sometimes your boot fails because your CV joint failed first. A broken CV joint will shred your boot if it runs for any time at all after failure.
Read more about how to avoid breaking your axles.
We sell boots and CV joints for all of our axles. For step-by-step instructions on how to change one, follow our video guide below.
The following video provides step-by-step instructions on how to properly remove and replace an axle on a side-by-side:
If you have a Can-Am UTV, it can be a little bit trickier replacing your axle. That’s because the Visco-Lok Differential has two sets of splines that rotate independently. If you don’t get your axle into both sets, you will destroy it immediately. Check out this video that shows you how to get an axle properly installed on a Can-Am:
No. We never use them. A few good tugs is good enough to get a side-by-side axle out of the transmission or differential. And don’t worry, you can’t pull hard enough on your axle to pull the CV joint apart.
As with all things in your shop, if you prefer using an axle removal tool, go for it!
If you bought your axle from SuperATV, the part number will be etched or stamped in the middle of the axle shaft as well as printed on the barcode sticker on the box. Other brands usually have their part numbers in a similar location.
We make Rhino 2.0 Axles affordable because we want to. We want to make them the no-brainer replacement axle for everyone. We could easily charge $300 or $400 for Rhino 2.0 axles, but we don’t because the point of Rhino 2.0 is that you get an axle that beats competing axles for half half the cost. It’s the heavy-duty axle for everybody.
It’s all about axle angles. If your OEM axles can handle the increased angles that a small lift kit causes, you won’t need aftermarket axles. If your OEM axles would bind up or overheat with a small lift, then you need aftermarket axles. Luckily, you don’t have to figure this out for yourself. If you buy a small lift kit from us, we’ll tell you whether you need aftermarket axles or not.
Since OEM axles all have different capabilities, different machines will handle a small lift kit better or worse.
If you’re getting a lift kit, long travel kit, or other upgraded suspension from us, we will tell you whether you need extended axles or not and we almost always include them with the kit. Unless you have some big suspension overhaul, you almost never need extended length axles.
If you’re having axle fitment issues, going longer usually isn’t the solution.
A damaged circlip is the most common cause of axle popout. The circlip is the small metal clip that sits in a grove set into the splines of your axle. This circlip can break when you remove or reinstall an axle, and without one, your axle will pop out every time you hit a bump. Replacing the circlip just costs a few cents and a trip to the hardware store.
Another reason your axle pops out is because it’s too short. This might be because you replaced your axle with the wrong axle, or you added a lift kit or long travel kit that increased the distance between your spindle and your transaxle or differential.
CV joints can get pretty hot. All of our axles use high temp grease that keeps everything lubricated and running smoothly even if they’re very hot.
That being said, your joints shouldn’t be boiling hot. If water boils on your CV joint, you have a problem that needs addressed.
With older machines from 2017 or earlier, you can see a 10 degree or greater improvement with Rhino Axles. Manufacturers are starting to get with the program on newer machines and we’re seeing impressive OEM axle angles of 45 degrees or better on some.
So if you have the hottest, newest sport side-by-side, odds are they’ve got the best axle angles you’ll get anywhere. You’ll still see improved strength and fewer breaks with Rhino Axles thanks to proprietary heat treating and 4340 chromoly steel contstruction, but the functional axle angles will be about the same.
